Honey, We're Young At Heart
Honey, We're Young at Heart is the sixth episode of the second season and the twenty-eighth episode overall of Honey I Shrunk The Kids: The TV Show. Feeling sorry for an elderly couple's loss of vitality, Wayne and Diane test a cellular enhancer to transfer some of their "zest for life". However, their neighbors continue to get younger while Wayne and Diane are left growing older. Amy and Nick pursue their neighbors to get the situation reversed before it's too late for their parents. Plot Overview Wayne and Diane receive a letter saying that Wayne might get an award for Wayne's latest invention, the Szalinski Zip Enhancer, and someone will arrive to judge two days later. Excited, Wayne and Diane dance and sing their song "Moon Over Miami" only to be interrupted by the appearance of Nick and Amy. Amy comes home sad because she feels that the elderly couple that she's volunteers are getting elderly and senile. Wanting to help and also test out the Szalinski Zip Enhancer, Wayne and Diane selflessly transfer some of their youthful energy into the McGanns. When Nick and Amy activate, the machine overloads to which smoke forms over their parents and the elderly couple. After the dust cleared, the McGanns begin to remember things from their past and leave while the Szalinski family goes on with the day. While getting ready for her day, Diane notices a grey hair. She plucks it out, observing that she’s starting to look like her mother. Later, Amy and Nick visit the McGanns to see how they're doing. The kids are greeted by what looks like two younger individuals. However, the younger couple turn out to actually be the McGanns several decades younger. Meanwhile, Wayne struggles to repair the Szalinski Zip Enhancer, missing work in the process. Diane returns home from a trip to the store, remarking that her grocery bags feel like “sacks of lead potatoes”. When Wayne goes up to greet her, she turns around to scold him for missing work. Wayne is shocked to see that her hair has turned silver and her face has aged. Diane is initially confused by Wayne’s shocked reaction, until he removes his protective goggles and she notices his aged skin and greying hair. The two realize with horror that the Szalinski Zip Enhancer has caused them to begin aging rapidly. After making a plan with Amy and Nick to find the McGanns and figure out how to reverse the problem, Diane and Wayne begin eating yogurt, which they believe will help them live longer. When Wayne asks Diane if she trusts him to fix the problem, Diane remarks that she “trusts yogurt more”. As sunset approaches, Amy and Nick search for the McGanns. Later that night, the search leads the kids to the Neon Chapel and Motel. Meanwhile, the parents are in the basement, trying desperately to fix the Szalinski Zip Enhancer as they continue to age rapidly. Thinking they have fixed the machine, Wayne tests the prototype out on a pair of plants; the results are promising at first, with one plant growing younger while the other ages, but proves fruitless when one plant ends up dying. Wayne goes over to the plants and remarks with dismay that he’ll “never get that grant at this rate”. Diane angrily questions Wayne’s sense of priorities, pointing out that the two are “going to look mummified soon”. Wayne responds absentmindedly that “yeah, that’s not a good thing”. and Diane mutters to herself “for better… AND for worse!”. Wayne and Diane then remove the plants and try again. Meanwhile, Amy and Nick watch the McGanns renew their vows. While the siblings argued about what to do, the McGanns manage to get away. By morning, Wayne and Diane continue aging rapidly; Wayne is balding, Diane wears glasses, and both have sagging skin and a tendency to start taking naps at random and inconvenient times— sometimes while in the middle of a sentence! As their parents take a nap, Amy takes the family van to chase the McGanns as immature teenagers while Nick stays home. Relishing in their teenage youth a second time, the McGanns take a baseball bat to every single mailbox in their sight. The McGanns gets pulled over by a police officer, however, amazingly manage to feign innocence to get away. The officer subsequently pulls Amy over for speeding. Although Amy fails to capture the McGanns, she does follow them to a mall to which Amy calls Nick for help. Meanwhile, Wayne manages to fix the Szalinski Zip Enhancer while Diane is puttering around the house while talking on the phone, explaining they have not gone into work lately. Desperate due to their parents having a limited amount of time left, Amy and Nick work together in one last effort to capture the McGanns as obnoxious toddlers at an indoor amusement center. Nick and Amy attempt to capture the McGanns but the toddlers manage to evade and hide further in the entertainment center. Back at the house, Diane and Wayne are sitting near the fireplace, knitting and discussing all the things they fear they won’t be able to do. At this point, the two are “pushing ninety” with completely white hair. The doorbell rings to which Wayne and Diane putter over to answer, expecting their kids. Instead, they open the door to a man in a dark suit. The man then says he is there about a “grant”, revealing that he is the grant judge. Unable to tell the judge what really happened, Wayne and Diane must scramble to come up with an explanation for where Wayne is. Despite Nick and Amy using several inventions at their usage, the McGanns manage to evade and hide further in the entertainment center. When the failure to save their parents becomes apparent, Amy and Nick had given up until the McGanns developed a change of heart. The Szalinski parents decide to pretend to be Wayne’s elderly parents so as to keep the grant judge occupied until they can fix the problem. Diane starts showing off family photos, which the impatient judge dismisses while asking when Wayne will arrive. Diane states that Wayne will arrive “any minute now”, and asks the real Wayne to back her up. When the judge starts to leave, Diane tries to stall him by showing a different invention of Wayne's: a new and improved fire extinguisher. Not knowing what the device is at first, the judge ends up spraying foam all over himself. Fed up with these shenanigans, the judge declares that he is going to leave and that Wayne will be disqualified. The elderly Wayne, desperate not to lose the grant, shouts for the judge to wait, and tells the judge that he has a confession to make while warning the judge that “you’re not gonna believe it!”. The judge, making a joke that Wayne might be the Lindberg baby, begrudgingly agrees to listen. Fortunately, Amy and Nick arrive just in time with the McGanns that are now babies. Amy and Nick reactivate the Szalinski Zip Enhancer and the ages of their parents and the McGanns are restored to normal. When Wayne runs out of the house to catch up, the award judge is impressed that Wayne has instantly transformed from a senior citizen. But when Wayne realizes that the judge only cares about money, Wayne convinces the judge of being a mad scientist, causing the judge to refuse to work with Wayne. As the McGanns leave, Diane notices the elderly couple still have may have some of their "zest for life" as they speed away in their car and run over a mailbox. Cast Main Cast * Peter Scolari - Wayne Szalinski * Barbara Alyn Woods - Diane Szalinski * Hillary Tuck - Amy Szalinski * Thomas Dekker - Nick Szalinski * Quark Guest Cast * Beverly Leech - Mrs. McGann * Todd Waring - Mr. McGann * Sarah Lind - Teen Mrs. McGann * Chas Harrison - Teen Mr. McGann * Britt McKillip - Little Mrs. McGann * York Myers - Little Mr. McGann * Jordon Dobbie - Skateboard Kid * Don McAllister - Minister * Keith Humphrey - Groom * Linn Johnson - Bride * Kevin Rothery - Trooper * Gery Schubert - Manager * Lesley Harris - Mother in Crowd * Julia Maxwell - Some Kid * Daryl Shuttleworth - Grant Guy Notes Arc Advancement Happenings Characters Referbacks Diane asking Wayne if the Szalinski Zap Enhancer is safe refers to their past experiences. Trivia The Show * There were several allusions to the rapid aging that Wayne and Diane would experience: ** While watching the McGanns leave their house, Diane wonders if they'll love each other in old age to which Wayne believes they'll be together in old age. ** While getting ready for her day, Diane notices a grey hair and observes that she’s starting to look like her mother. ** While struggling to repair his invention, Wayne gets surprised by an old fashioned alarm clock. Behind the Scenes * Chas Harrison (Teen Mr. McGann) previously played the teen version of Wayne Szalinski in "Honey, They Call Me A Space Cowboy". * Dave Trainor was responsible for the old-age makeup. Allusions and References Memorable Moments * After comparing their respective relatives' lifespans, Diane and Wayne consume yogurt as a temporary fix to live longer while Amy and Nick search for the McGanns. * As they're trying desperately to fix the Szalinski Zip Enhancer, Wayne dismayingly remarks that they’ll “never get that grant at this rate” and responds absentmindedly “that’s not a good thing” for them to which Diane annoyingly pointed out they're “going to look mummified soon” and mutters “for better… AND for worse!”. * By the time Amy and Nick are home empty-handed, Wayne sports a balding combover, Diane wears glasses, and both have more pronounced wrinkled skin. * As his parents are “pushing ninety”, Nick tries to reschedule the grant judge's appointment. Diane's hair his now white as she is on the phone with Mr. Jennings while Wayne manages to fix the Szalinski Zip Enhancer while he is in need for “Bengué” for his back. * In addition to their hair that has gone all white, Wayne's hair has almost totally fallen out except for some long hair in the back, Diane has been knitting, and they're discussing all the things they fear they won’t be able to see or do. * While pretending to be Wayne’s elderly parents to keep the grant judge occupied, Diane is now completely dependent on glasses while Wayne has deteriorating hearing and has dentures; Diane initially doesn’t recognize the grant judge as her deteriorating eyesight has made it hard for her to see even with the glasses and Wayne starts talking about the weather instead the topic of his “son”. Unable to tell what really happened and scramble to come up with an explanation for where Wayne, Diane starts showing off family photos and shows Wayne's new and improved fire extinguisher until Wayne, desperate not to lose the grant, shouts for the judge to wait for which his dentures to fall out. Wayne slowly puts his dentures back in place, and he has a confession to make while warning the judge is “not gonna believe it!”. Continuity Issues * Driving: The McGanns are allowed to have a driver's license. However, they're clearly shown to be senile. As teenagers, they should've been pulled over by the police officer. * Colloquialisms: When Diane is on the phone with Jennings, she says that Wayne has a “really dandy excuse”. Dandy is a slang term that was common earlier in the twentieth century, and is associated with the elderly now because only people who grew up then continue to use the term. But Diane did not grow up during that time period, so it does not make sense for her to be using dandy even if the Szalinski Zip Enhancer did cause her to be “pushing ninety”. * Hair: As Wayne ages, the hair on the back of his head that does not fall out long in contrast to the short haircut he usually wears. This suggests that the Szalinski Zip Enhancer causes his hair to grow as per the aging process. But Diane’s hair remains the same length even as she ages at the same accelerated rate as Wayne. * Glasses: As Diane ages, her eyesight deteriorates and she's shown wearing glasses for most of the episode's second half. While it's possible that Diane (or the kids) went out and got a pair of glasses, It seems unlikely given how she and Wayne had limited time to fix the Szalinski Zip Enhancer. It's possible that Diane had a pair of reading glasses or she may have borrowed a spare pair of glasses from Wayne. * False Teeth: While it might make sense for Wayne’s teeth to fall out as a result of aging, it's extremely unlikely that he would have been able to go and get a pair of dentures that fit his mouth. Even if he could have gotten dentures, there’s no way he would have taken the time to do so, given the pressing need to fix the Szalinski Zip Enhancer. Quotes Diane: Are you sure this is safe, honey? Wayne: Honey, have you ever known me to test out an invention that wasn't safe? stares at him Ok but this one is perfectly dandy. Diane: removing a grey hair First I start sounding like my mother, and now I'm starting to look like her! Wayne: wearing a hat and safety goggles Can I give you a hand with those, hun? Diane: carrying two grocery bags Feels like I’m carrying sacks of lead potatoes! around, revealing her wrinkled face and silver hair Why do I get the feeling you didn’t go into work today? Wayne: Oh, honey! feeling Diane’s face Diane: What? Stop that! What is wrong with you?! Wayne: First of all, I’m sure it’s not permanent! I can— yeah, I can fix it. Theoretically, there’s no reason that the process shouldn’t be reversible. Diane: What are you talking about? Wayne: You don’t know? Diane: Know what? Wayne: Well, it seems that my experiment on the McGanns affected you in a way I hadn’t planned on. off his hat and goggles, revealing his wrinkled face and receding hairline Diane: her groceries in shock Oh, honey! What happened to you?! Wayne: Huh? over to a mirror and sees his aging face Uh oh! Diane: walking over to the mirror Please tell me I don’t look like that! Wayne: No— not exactly! You’re still as beautiful as ever, Diane! Diane: Ooooooooh! No wonder Joe at the Cooler didn’t flirt with me today! Wayne: Who?! Diane: My great-grandmother lived to be 87. Of course she spent the last eight years talking to her big toe. Amy: Hope It was a good conversationalist. Wayne: My great aunt Nostrovya lived to be 112! Amy: Really?! Wayne: She ate a lot of yogurt. A LOT of yogurt! Wayne: eating yogurt Everything will be fine, hun, believe me! I'll fix everything. I'll reverse the experiment, I'll get the grant, and life will be just hunky-dory. You trust me, right? Diane: I trust yogurt more... more yogurt Wayne: killing several plants in an attempt to fix the Szalinski Zip Enhancer I’ll never get that grant at this rate! Diane: Honey, we REALLY need to work on your sense of priorities. We’re going to look mummified soon! Wayne: Yeah, that’s not a good thing. Better get back to work! Diane: For better… AND for worse! Diane: on the couch C’mon, team; it’s not over yet! Where's that old Szalin… ski… asleep; Wayne shakes her to wake up spirit?! Wayne: off the couch Ah, but they're not anywhere. Ha ha ha. No no no no; they're somewhere… Calculatus illuminatus… Process of illumination… Amy: Elimination. Diane: the phone I know, Mr. Jennings, but this time Wayne has a real… dandy excuse! Wayne: fixing the Szalinski Zip Enhancer Pestilence toenails! I got It! Diane, I-it's working! It's… oh my back… where's the bengay?! Diane: on the couch next to Wayne I’ll never see Amy pass her college boards! Wayne: the materials next to Diane I’ll never see Nick win that Nobel! Diane: I’ll never see Paris! Wayne: I’ll never see the new Star Wars movie! Diane: Whatever happens, honey, I just want you to know— I’ll probably… NEVER forgive you for this! Grant Judge: Mrs. Szalinski, perhaps you'd be so kind as to tell me when we might expect your "Little Wayne-ey" in the proverbial flesh. I am a busy man; we are wasting time, and time is money! Diane: Oh, any minute now. Wouldn’t you say so, honey? Wayne: Huh? Diane: I saaaaaaid, any minute now we’ll be seeing our little Wayne-ey! Wayne: I don't think so! There’s not a cloud in the sky. Diane: to stop the grant judge from leaving Oh! Wait, oh-- look at this! One of my "boy's" little inventions! He calls it a- Grant Judge: a device handed to him Hypo-thermal-styro pyro-neutralizer. the device, which sprays foam all over him Diane: Commonly known as a... fire... extinguisher. Grant Judge: Please, inform your son that he has been officially disqualified from consideration! Wayne: Wait! Wait… dentures fall out; Wayne slowly puts them back in Now— now I have a confession to make! But I warn ya— you’re not gonna believe it! Grant Judge: As long as it doesn’t concern the Lindberg baby… Category:Season 2 Category:Episodes